clip from article: NEW YORK—A United Nations human rights investigation has found that Syria had “manifestly failed” to protect its own people.

The report, prepared by the UN-appointed Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, came as deadly violence continued across the country and Arab and Western states prepared to discuss a proposal to get humanitarian aid into areas under military assault.

The UN panel said on Thursday that it had submitted a list of Syrian military and political officials suspected of crimes against humanity to Navi Pillay, the UN’s top human rights official.

It is believed the list could go as high as Bashar al Assad, the Syrian president, whose security crack-down has left an estimated 8,000 people dead since protests erupted against his government in March 2011.

The report, commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council, cites numerous atrocities, including the shooting and killing of civilians, shelling residential areas, and torturing wounded protesters in hospital. [read more at link]